Author, speaker and singer Susan Maxwell Skinner grew up in New Zealand. From the age of 16, she trained as a reporter on the country’s largest newspaper. As she rose through the ranks, feature stories became her “beat”. 

Relocated to London, Susan served in the Buckingham Palace press corps for eight years, writing books and articles about the Royal Family and particularly, Princess Diana. Romance lured the scribe to California, where she married the famous Sacramento bandleader John Skinner. Susan studied music and became a professional singer. 

She and John Skinner entered Carmichael lore when they moved to the Sacramento satellite in 1989. Susan later led the Chamber of Commerce and became a photojournalist on the home scene. Her camera has captured local wildlife and civic tradition for many years; Susan’s photographic book “Carmichael Americana” distilled the unique character in our American River town. She has been voted “Best of Carmichael”  for photography, every year since the contest began. Published regularly in the Carmichael Times and Inside magazine, Susan’s stories continue to reflect what is best about her adopted community.